Original Chili Crisp Skillet Cornbread

This BLACKLAND skillet cornbread puts corn flavor and a crisp edge first. A little Original Chili Crisp flavors the crumb; the rest goes on after baking, where its shallot and chile solids remain visible. The bread is lightly sweetened, with optional honey butter for a sweet-savory bite.

One 10-inch skillet cornbread, cut into 8 side-serving wedges. Optional honey butter adds a small spread for each wedge; yield is approximate.

Allow about 55 minutes: 20 minutes to heat the oven and skillet while measuring and mixing, up to 25 minutes baking, and 10 minutes cooling. Mix optional honey butter while the bread bakes. If your oven needs more than 20 minutes to reach temperature, allow that extra time before combining wet and dry ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (185 g) fine- or medium-ground yellow cornmeal, not coarse grits or self-rising cornmeal mix
• 3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) cultured buttermilk, well shaken
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, for the skillet
• 3 tablespoons BLACKLAND Original Chili Crisp, divided
• For optional honey butter: 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, softened, and 2 teaspoons honey

Instructions

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 425°F (220°C). Place a dry 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven while you measure the ingredients. Give the oven and skillet about 20 minutes to heat fully; keep a dry oven mitt nearby for the handle.
2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Separately whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Stir the chili crisp to redistribute oil and solids; whisk 1 tablespoon into the wet mixture and reserve 2 tablespoons for serving.
3. Once the oven is hot, fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick but pourable and slightly grainy; do not beat it smooth. Using the oven mitt, remove the hot skillet, add the tablespoon of neutral oil, and carefully tilt to coat the base and lower sides. Immediately scrape in the batter. The edges should sizzle; keep chili-crisp solids out of the bare hot pan.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden, the center springs back lightly, and a skewer inserted into the center emerges without wet batter. If the top colors before the center sets, loosely shield it with foil and continue baking. Meanwhile, if using optional honey butter, mash its softened butter and honey together.
5. Move the skillet to a heatproof surface and cool for 10 minutes so the crumb holds together when cut. Keep the handle covered with an oven mitt or clearly marked as hot. Stir the reserved 2 tablespoons chili crisp and spoon it in a restrained pattern over the warm surface, distributing solids without pooling oil.
6. Cut into 8 wedges and lift out with a thin spatula. Serve warm, with the optional honey butter divided among the wedges. The crisp topping does not need another trip through the oven.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve one wedge alongside separately prepared beans, chili, or grilled meat; these foods are outside this recipe's timing and yield.
• Pair with vegetable soup or a crunchy chopped salad.

Optional Variations

• For unsweetened cornbread, omit the tablespoon of sugar and optional honey butter; keep the buttermilk and leavening unchanged.
• For a garlic-forward variation, replace all 3 tablespoons Original Chili Crisp with Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp, preserving the one-tablespoon batter and two-tablespoon finishing split.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Cool leftover wedges, then refrigerate covered at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 3 days. Refrigerate optional honey butter separately. For planned leftovers, finish only the wedges being served and save the other wedges' proportional share of the measured crisp.

Warm wedges in a 350°F (175°C) oven until hot through, loosely covered if needed to prevent drying, then add reserved crisp. The topping softens during storage. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking or serving, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C).

Contains wheat, milk, and egg. Check cornmeal, baking powder, buttermilk, and chili-crisp labels for ingredient changes and cross-contact advisories; no gluten-free claim is made. Optional honey butter adds milk and honey.

Original Chili Crisp supplies savory aromatics, so the batter needs no garlic or onion powder. Its product heat is 2/5; the finished cornbread is estimated mild. Crisp mixed into the batter softens as it bakes; the finishing portion adds more distinct solids.

More from the BLACKLAND kitchen: Original Chili Crisp Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Chili Crisp Roasted Vegetables.